Unfrel unveils various violations during polls

JAKARTA (JP): The University Network for Free and Fair Elections (Unfrel), a local poll watchdog, reported on Friday several violations conducted during Monday's balloting in the Depok mayoralty in West Java.

Unfrel election monitoring coordinator Tris Stiadi said on Friday that violations, recorded in all three districts of the mayoralty, ranged from unequal distribution of ballot cards by district polling committees to suspicious calculations of votes, both by members of polling stations and subdistrict polling committees.

"We're seriously considering asking the Bogor mayoralty elections committee to repeat the election process in Depok," Tris told The Jakarta Post.

The watchdog had 721 volunteers monitoring the election across 350 of 390 polling places in 23 subdistricts of Sukmajaya, Beji and Pancoranmas districts.

Unfrel member Nurmala said outstanding cases were found at four polling places of Tirtajaya subdistrict, Sukmajaya.

"We have the stamped, official forms from all four polling stations. They show that the National Mandate Party (PAN) won nearly 400 votes," Nurmala told the Post.

"However, the stamped form from the Tirtajaya PPS office shows that PAN only won one vote at the provincial level and none at the central and regional levels."

Unfrel, Tris added, has also asked the Bogor PPD II office to hold an additional poll because scores of residents were barred from exercising their rights when polling places closed at 2 p.m.

The General Elections Commission has ruled that polling committees should try to finish by 2 p.m. but should extend the hours if registered voters had not yet cast their ballots. (ylt)